Luther Grouss
Luther Grouss was a Legunar general who became the second General Regnant of Leguna. Grouss was famed for his brutal rulership of the nation, setting an increasingly repressive precedent for Legunar leadership. Early life Luther was born in 486 DR, when Rupert Rudolius was already in power, and so from an early age he idolized the forceful leadership of Rudolius' public image. As the second son of a modest agrarian family, Luther was supported in his decision to enter the military in 501— as soon as the law allowed. The next year, Rudolius made it known that he was drafting a line of succession, and from Luther's writings, it becomes apparent that he had immediately set his sights on ascending the line of succession as quickly as possible. Succession Through significant zeal and commitment to Rudolian ideals, Luther became one of the foremost generals of his generation. By 512, a decade after the initial line of succession was written, Luther was fourth in line; in the remaining years of the 510s, two of those generals died of natural causes. Thus, by 520, the race was on between Luther and Tobius Rougold for the leading spot in the succession. The two switched positions several times in the last years of the Rudolian period— Luther was the favorite of the army, and had more force of personality, while Tobius was a better administrator and preferred by the remnants of the parliament. Ultimately, Luther came out victorious, being ahead of Tobius when Rudolius finally died in 525. Reign Upon his accession, Luther was quick to legitimize his reign, and he saw Tobius as being one of the major obstacles facing him. Luther therefore accused Tobius of "anti-state action" and, after a show trial, executed him that winter. Fearing backlash, Luther moved next to shut down any potential sources of rebellions; throughout the rest of the 520s, a leading target of his was the press, and so most Legunar publications were either shut down or closely monitored. Luther also altered the justice system to significantly increase the severity of punishments, and so executions became common— even petty theft led to the death penalty in a number of cases. This eventually led the Golden Quintet to expel Leguna from its ranks in 531; Luther capitalized on this, describing it as an act of war in the few surviving news bulletins. With an army cobbled together from his followers, Luther began to march on the Dorian and Farelian borders that winter. Although Luther was eager to report territorial gain, he made no attempt to attack actual forts or cities in either territory, and so the leadership of both countries stayed uninvolved and let Luther burn through his resources. The only real retaliation was an embargo, issued in 533 by President Wesley Teming of Farelia. In 535, Luther recalled his forces once supplies ran thin; however, by this point the economy of all Leguna was starting to backslide. Luther reacted to the economic slump with even further crackdowns; he began rationing most goods, so that individuals could not "overconsume." However, this caused large families to suffer, as Luther did not provide them with additional supplies to counteract their increased usage. This eventually led to the 542 Farm Uprising, in which a disgruntled group of northern Legunar farmers attempted to force Luther to repeal the rationing policy. Luther did eventually put down the rebellion, owing to its disorganized nature; he attempted to paint it as a pro-Ambliar revolt, convincing few. Ultimately, the main effect of the Farm Uprising was inspiring later revolutionaries like Marcus Tanarius. In his own line of succession, Luther preferred generals of his own generation; those were also the ones who benefitted most under his system, so there was a mutual gratitude between the parties. However, when Luther died of respiratory issues in 550, he was already in his mid-seventies; thus, the line of succession was headed by a series of elderly generals in middling health, bringing about a series of turbulent years. Personal life Luther paid little heed to marriage in his early adulthood, instead preferring to focus on personal advancement. However, in the 510s he became more willing to devote time to courtship, and so he married Una Henswoull in 516. Throughout the ensuing years, they would have three children. Luther raised his son, Rupert, to follow in his footsteps; although Rupert did not have the same military or political skill that Luther did, he still made it onto the line of succession, peaking in sixth place. Category:Legunars Category:Military Leaders